LatinNews Daily - 18 April 2018

Venezuela: Venezuela’s opposition-controlled national assembly (AN) has voted in favour of subjecting President Nicolás Maduro to impeachment proceedings. The AN decision is in-line with a formal request filed by the magistrates from the supreme court (TSJ) who were forced into exile by the Maduro government in 2017 after their authority was not recognised and the national constituent assembly convened by the government appointed new TSJ magistrates. The TSJ in exile asked for Maduro to face impeachment over his suspected involvement in the region-wide government corruption scandal centred around Brazilian engineering firm, Odebrecht. The opposition majority bench in the AN agreed yesterday that there is sufficient evidence to open impeachment proceedings against Maduro, who is seeking re-election in the 20 May presidential elections organised by his government but boycotted by the Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) main opposition coalition. However, the ruling Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) and the Maduro government, which does not recognise the AN, have said that the AN vote is null and void and warned of “consequences” for any deputies who voted in favour of subjecting the president to impeachment.

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